CI-2009 EAc4: Green Power

Easy to research

Pick up the phone, call the local utility and a couple of green power providers—companies that sell renewable energy credits (RECs), which provide funding to renewable energy generation, supporting its development. Give them your project’s estimated energy consumption. Sit back and receive estimates.

That’s all it takes to find out what a purchase of offsite renewable energy will cost, so be sure to consider it—you might be pleasantly surprised. The credit requires you to offset only a percentage of your electricity consumption with RECs to earn points (see diagram at right). You can make a stronger environmental statement and earn an extra Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. point through IDc1 by offsetting 70% (100% for CI projects).

Why green power?

Some building owners may hesitate to pursue this credit because they don’t believe that the extra cost brings a direct, tangible benefit to their building.

RECs must be Green-e certified or the equivalent. Center for Resource Solutions

However, nonrenewable electricity production is a huge contributor to pollution and global climate change1. Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer). (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008)
2.The increase in global average temperatures being caused by a buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This temperature change is leading to changes in circulation patterns in the air and in the oceans, which are affecting climates differently in different places. Among the predicted effects are a significant cooling in Western Europe due to changes in the jet stream, and rising sea levels due to the melting of polar ice and glaciers., and buying green power creates incentives for further development of renewable energy facilities. The benefits of renewable energy are well-understood by the general public, and so buying green power can help you advertise your commitment to environmental responsibility. Many projects display their renewable energy certificates prominently.

Making it cost-effective

Many projects see this credit as low-hanging fruit, and may pursue it depending on how many points they need to achieve their LEED goals. Because the credit focuses exclusively on electricity (not natural gas, propane, or fuel oil) it is usually very affordable.

Purchasing green power through your utility

Many utilities offer a green power option for their customers, typically from renewable sources within your region. Instead of buying RECs from a third party, you can quickly get set up to buy the RECs based on a premium charge per kilowatt-hour that you consume.

What are RECs?

The market for renewable energy credits (RECs) has exploded in recent years, but RECs are still an abstract entity that can be difficult to define.

For buildings that can’t generate onsite renewable power or purchase it through a regional utility, but still want to promote renewable energy, RECs (sometimes called “green tags” or “tradable renewable certificates”) allow customers to continue to buy the same grid-supplied power, while also buying the environmental attributes of electricity produced by a renewable source. (The actual renewably generated electricity is sold separately to the grid for market price as normal power, while your REC purchase helps deliver extra revenue that helps make renewable energy production financially feasible.) To ensure quality, LEED requires you to purchase RECs certified by Green-e, a third-party program, or an equivalent certification program.

You can buy RECs from specific regions of the country, and even from specific renewable energy projects, or project types (like wind or solar). Buying RECs from a specific source can increase the cost a bit, but also helps bring this intangible commodity down to earth.

The Bear Creek Wind Farm in Bear Creek, Pennsylvania, with 12 Garnesa 2.0 MW turbines, was developed in 2005 by Community Energy, which sells renewable energy credits (RECs) from the project. Photo – Community Energy, Inc.

Criticisms of RECs

RECs, along with carbon offsets, which are similar, have come under criticism. This is largely due to the perception that they allow a person or a business to go on with business as usual, consuming as much fossil fuel as usual, and then simply write a check to assuage their guilt, without producing tangible environmental benefit.

There is validity to these concerns, which are best countered by conserving energy through high-performance building design and location (earning other EA and SS points in LEED), generating renewable energy onsite if possible, and then buying RECs only as a last step. Focusing on energy conservation first has the side benefit of making the ultimate purchase of RECs more affordable, because you have less consumption to offset.

FAQs for LEED and green power

Can I buy RECs on the open market, or do I have to go through my power provider or utility, which also offers them?

You can buy RECs from either source.

Our project is outside the U.S. We would like to earn this credit by purchasing RECs, but there are no Green-e options available here. It looks like most Green-e certified power comes from the U.S. What should we do?

Your simplest course of action is to buy any Green-e RECs available on the open market, including those in the U.S. There is no requirement for your RECs to be from your country. If you prefer to buy RECs from a project closer to home, you can see if there are RECs available that are certified to a standard that is equivalent to Green-e. This is less common, but has been done.

We are pursuing this credit outside the U.S., and the owner wants to know if we can buy green power through a provider in our country that is not Green-e certified. We started comparing our national standard to Green-e and quickly found an area where the national standard is not as stringent as Green-e. Is this a dead end?

Correct—you can't rely on your national standard in this case. The Green-e Standard exists to make sure that there is no double counting in the market and clearly addresses the voluntary market only. These fundamental issue of accounting and additionality are at the core of LEED's adoption of such a standard to define quality green power products.

Our project will be net-zero energy, i.e. will produce as much or more power than it consumes. Can we earn this credit?

Yes, as confirmed by LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. #10219 posted on 7/1/2012, if the project produces 100% or more of its electricity as onsite renewable electricity, the project can earn the credit plus an EP point. However, you also need to take steps to ensure that if the as-built project does not turn out to be net-zero, that the appropriate quantity of RECs will be purchased to meet the credit threshold. See the LEED Interpretation for these details.

We will have cogeneration onsite. Do the credit requirements apply to all electricity used onsite, or only that which is purchased from the grid?

All electricity used by the project is the basis for the green power purchase.

The owner has purchased RECs for a percentage of energy use of its whole portfolio of buildings, or campus. Can we earn this credit for a single LEED building with this purchase?

Yes. Provide evidence of the quantity and term purchase for the campus along with an explanation of how the green power has been or will be allocated as applicable. If any of this purchase has been allocated to a previous LEED project state how much and provide a letter allocating the quantity needed to this project.

We plan on pursuing this credit only if we need to do so to meet our certification target, i.e. if another credit we are counting on gets rejected. How late can we apply for this credit?

You can document this credit as late as when you submit your clarifications for the construction review. You can even do it after that, and before you accept your final certification, but you'll have to pay an appeal fee.

The owner purchases RECs based on an earlier prediction, but our energy model is now showing that we are just a little short of the credit threshold. What should we do?

The owner will need to buy additional RECs to meet the threshold.

Legend

Best Practices

Gotcha

Action Steps

Cost Tip

Pre-Design

SCA Americas Headquarters, a LEED-CI Silver project in Philadelphia, buys RECs from Community Energy and also employs energy-saving design features like daylighting and energy-efficient lighting. Photo – EwingCole

You have three options for earning this credit. The best and most cost-effective option for your project will depend on your location and the offerings of the local utility.

Purchase green power through the existing power provider. You need to verify that it is a Green-e certified provider or the equivalent.

If your state has an open electricity market, you can find—and directly purchase from—a provider that offers Green-e accredited power.

Purchase Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs).

Most projects find it easiest to go with the third option, and shop around for the best deal on RECs. Others, however, have found it best to purchase through their local utility when they can get a better bundle deal and feel like the purchase is more tangible, so do some research.

This is one LEED credit that you can do at the last minute. However, if you are renting or selling space in your building, you may want to use the purchase of green power as a marketing tool and will not want to wait until the last minute to make the purchase.

Many projects see this credit as one for which you pay but don’t receive a tangible benefit. However, nonrenewable electricity production is a huge contributor to pollution and global climate change, and buying green power supports the development of renewable energy facilities.

If the owner is a corporation or a school district with a portfolio of multiple buildings, consider purchasing green power through a bulk agreement and allocating it to different projects. You will need to avoid “double-dipping,” where more than one project or tenant space uses the same green power allotment.

If your green power provider does not supply Green-e accredited energy, it must have an equivalent accreditation. To qualify as an equivalent accreditation, a program must meet the requirements for renewable resources as detailed by Green-e, and the supplier must have undergone an annual third-party verification process equivalent to the Green-e process. You might want to take this route if your utility provider can provide the best rate.

You can choose to purchase two years’ worth of green power at occupancy, rather than pay monthly or yearly. In this case, you would purchase double the percentage of assumed annual electricity consumption to satisfy the credit’s two-year commitment. For example, a LEED-CI project would purchase either 16 kWh per square foot or 100% of actual electricity consumption.

Some universities and large companies have already decided to purchase green power and therefore your project may not have to pay for it directly. Consult with the owner to see if this is already happening and you can use previously allocated funds rather than project funds. You will need to make sure there is no “double-dipping”.

The lower your building’s energy use, the less you pay for this credit (because you have less electrical power use to offset). Explore cost-effective ways of reducing electrical energy consumption in order to reduce the cost of green power.

Schematic Design

Calculate a rough estimate of the cost for purchasing green power based on the default numbers found in the LEED Reference Guide or through DOE’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey database (see the table at right). See the LEEDuser strategy on step-by-step green power calculations and follow the steps for default electricity consumption calculations.

Green power prices can fluctuate like other utility prices. If you think prices may rise by the time the project is completed, lock in a low price by signing a contract anytime prior to occupancy.

Running estimated calculations early in the design stage will help to give you a better understanding of how much the credit might cost. Just keep in mind that the cost may change once the energy usage is further defined as part of your calculations for EAp2 and EAc1: Optimize Energy Performance. If you are using an energy model per Option 1 of EAc1, the cost of RECs might change if alterations to the energy model are required after the LEED design review, but the change should be minimal.

Especially if your project is very energy efficient, you will probably be able to pay less for green power based on your energy model than you would using the default values from CBECS.

Design Development

Continue to seek strategies that lower the building’s electrical energy use in order to subsequently reduce the cost of green power.

Call several green power providers to get a preliminary estimate of the cost to buy green power for 35% of the assumed, actual or default electricity consumption. While you’re at it, also get an estimate for buying 70% green power and earning a point for exemplary performance or really go for it with 100%. Find green power providers on EPA’s Green Power Partnership website or the Green-e website. See the Resources section for links to their websites.

Green power is a competitive market with price variation. Obtain more than one estimate to find less-expensive options.

Some projects choose to attempt this credit at the last minute and keep it as a “back-pocket” credit. For example, you may decide to go for this credit only if it helps you reach another level of LEED certification. A contract can be arranged at the last minute, and can even be submitted after the first construction review.

This credit requires only a few minutes to make phone calls, provide the size of the project and energy consumption, and get estimates. It is well worth the time and effort to determine the likely cost.

Construction Documents

Determine electricity use (see the documentation toolkit for the Guidelines on Green Power Calculations document and follow the steps for the necessary calculations) based on one of the following options:

Construction

If you are using energy modeling, get a final estimate of the cost based on final model outputs. Remember that this credit is based on the quantity of electricity consumption (usually in kWh), not cost.

Sign a contract with the chosen green power provider.

Submit documentation to LEED Online. This will include filling out the LEED Online credit form, which requires a number of inputs on total electrical consumption (or default values) and details on the green power purchased. You will also need to upload a proof of purchase for two years of green power—see the Documentation Toolkit for an example.

USGBC

EA Credit 4: Green power

5 Points

Intent

To encourage the development and use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies on a net zero pollution basis.

Requirements

Option 1

Engage in at least a 2-year renewable energy contract to provide at least 50% of the tenant’s electricity from renewable sources, as defined by the Center for Resource Solutions’ Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. energy product certification requirements or an equivalent [Europe ACP: Green Power][South America ACP: Green Power].

All purchases of green power must be based on the quantity of energy consumed, not the cost, as determined by the annual electricity consumption results of EA Credit 1, Optimize Energy Performance.

If the green power is not Green-e Energy certified, equivalence must exist for both major Green-e Energy program criteria: 1) current green power performance standards, and 2) independent, third-party verification that those standards are being met by the green power supplier over time.

All purchases of green power must be based on the quantity of energy consumed, not the cost.

If the green power is not Green-e Energy certified, equivalence must exist for both major Green-e Energy program criteria: 1) current green power performance standards, and 2) independent, third-party verification that those standards are being met by the green power supplier over time.

Alternative Compliance Paths (ACPs)

Europe ACP: Green-e Energy Equivalent

Projects in Europe may use the following approved standards in place of Green-e Energy:

Potential Technologies & Strategies

Determine the energy needs of the tenant spaceTenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space. and investigate opportunities to engage in a green power contract. Green power is derived from solar, wind, geothermal, biomass or low-impact hydro sources. Visit http://www.green-e.org/ for details about the Green-e Energy program. The power product purchased to comply with credit requirements need not be Green-e Energy certified. Other sources of green power are eligible if they satisfy the Green-e Energy program’s technical requirements. Renewable energy certificates (RECs), tradable renewable certificates (TRCs), green tags and other forms of green power that comply with the technical requirements of the Green-e Energy program may be used to document compliance with this credit.

Organizations

EPA’s Green Power Partnership provides assistance and recognition to organizations that demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing green power. It includes a buyer’s guide with lists of green power providers in each state.

Search for green power or carbon offsetA fiscal unit measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) representing six main categories of greenhouse gases. Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, one carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases). Carbon offsets are typically purchased by consumers of fossil fuels or products using fossil fuels, as a way to "offset" or negate their negative environmental impact. providers by location. Understand Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. standards to demonstrate equivalency.

The Low Impact Hydropower Institute is a non-profit organization and certification body that establishes criteria against which to judge the environmental impacts of hydropower projects in the United States.

Technical Guides

This document is USGBC’s second (v2.0) major release of guidance for district or campus thermal energy in LEED, and is a unified set of guidance comprising the following an update to the original Version 1.0 guidance released May 2008 for LEED v2.x and the initial release of formal guidance for LEED v2009.

Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Pricing

RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. vendors often offer different REC products and pricing based on the type of renewable energy generation (such as solar or wind) and the geographical location of the generation, as shown in this sample pricing table prepared for a LEED-NC project.

Samples

CI-2009 LEED Online Sample Forms – EA

The following links take you to the public, informational versions of the dynamic LEED Online forms for each CI-2009 EA credit. You'll need to fill out the live versions of these forms on LEED
Online for each credit you hope to earn.

102 Comments

Projects outside the US

The project is located outside the US where Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. suppliers are not present. The project is thus looking at buying Green-e RECs. Is there a list of suppliers from which green-e RECs can be bought?

Can the project team purchase the RECs?

The reference guide states that "the tenant AND project team can purchase Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. accredited RECs". Does that mean that a member of the project team, like the Architect, could hold the contract for the RECs instead of the owner of the LEED project/tenant of the space? Feels like a weird question to ask.

Green power & onsite solar

We have a project where onsite solar panels generate a portion of the electricity serving the building - but not all. It's registered under ID&C, and I'm not sure how to complete the credit submittal template.

Should I simply input it in the spreadsheet, and list under the "purchase type" - "Owned"? And then, we can purchase the balance of the power through RECs? Or does this portion of solar energy fall exclusively under SSc1?

On-site renewables are not directly covered by this credit. They are clearly included in SSc1.

With that said they are related to this credit. Any on-site renewable production would be subtracted from the consumption when determining how much green power must be purchased for this credit. Who owns the PV system? How is the electricity in the building billed? How much of the building is occupied by this tenant? Has the PV power been allocated within another LEED submission like CS? Make sure you clearly explain how you are determining how much of the PV power is allocated to your CI project as this will raise questions (as you can see above).

Thank you - upon doing more research, it seems a little more complicated than I expected.

The existing building was sold, and had been EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. certified 10.3.13. Under Ebom, the original owner pursued credit EAc4 - Onsite & Offsite renewable energy. It's now owner/landlord occupied.

Under EAc4 - Onsite, they claimed 47.84 MBTUs of energy generated from solar. The original owner then purchased RECs for the remainder of the estimated power consumption, with a 2 year contract. The contract, therefore, runs form 10/13 - 10/15.

The new owner - my client - decided to do a major renovation, and wants to re-certify under CI. They hope to be certified by June/14. I can offset the amount of RECs we purchase based on their exisitng solar contributions, but now my 2nd question is: do those existing RECs purchased under EBOM - that run for another year - count for anything? Or since the building changed hands, should we discount it? Thanks.

Let me give you an example - I think that if you did a BD+C project and purchased RECs that those same RECs could be used in your EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. submission. If so I think that the same logic would apply when going the other direction. My opinion would be that the EBOM RECs should contribute toward your CI RECs. You may need to be able to demonstrate that the current building owner owns the RECs in order to claim them.

Lighting in kWh?

The answer to this one might be obvious, but I just can’t see it:
EAc4 form says to “Provide numbers that correspond with the information provided in EAp2 and EAc1.3”. So the HVAC electricity use is the electricity part and not the district heating part in EAc1.3. Got that! But the lighting part is to be extracted from EAp2? Problem being that in EAp2 there is only lighting power in Watts. What we need is the electricity usage in kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu.. We can’t assume that all lighting is always on during office hours, so what do I do? We have lighting controls (motion and daylight). What are they after? Because it’s 50 % of these two numbers that is the amount of wind power that we need to purchase

It does not say that the lighting should be extracted from EAp2. It says that it should correspond with EAp2. I interpret this to mean that it should be consistent with the values in EAp2. They are after electricity consumption for lighting for this credit. It is the lighting power density for EAp2. So if you have a certain installed lighting power density (including any credit for occupancy sensors) you then apply a schedule including hourly diversity factors to determine the kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu.. The daylighting makes it much more complicated. Essentially you will need to calculate the lighting energy usage. If this is too difficult you can always use one of the other options.

The owner buys the energy

Hi all

In my LEED CI project the tenant are sub metering their energy usage and are then paying the building the owner for the amount of energy used. The building owner is buying 100% green power through wind to all of their tenants and is billing out the cost. Can my project meet the requirements of this credit when the tenants are not the ones who have the energy supply contract? The project is located in Sweden and we don't have RECs.

Sounds like you are paying for it so I would think that you could claim credit for it. make sure to thoroughly explain the situation to the reviewer.

You will need to demonstrate equivalency to Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products.. The green power source itself is only a part of equivalency. The hardest part in some countries is demonstrating that the green power source is not the result of a government mandate (i.e. requirement that some portion of the power in the country is renewable). Green-e clearly supports the voluntary market and counting something being mandated as green power is an issue of addtionality. This concept is common in carbon offsets and means that the revenue stream derived from the market is used to encourage additional projects beyond those which would have happened anyway.

For example, in the US we have states with a Renewable Portfolio Standard that requires the utilities in that state to provide a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources. Many of these mandated projects are for wind power. This wind power cannot be Green-e certified because it is required. So the purpose behind Green-e is to encourage the voluntary market by creating a market for the positive environmental attributes associated with the power source and putting a value on them. This is the RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. market in the US and green power in other countries must demonstrate equivalency.

100% Green energy supply contract

Hi,

After reading all comments I'm still not clear about the following, I hope you can help me:
- We have not gone through the building simulation route in EAC1.3, so in principle we would need to buy 8kWh*sqf.
We are however thinking of finding a green electricity provider to supply us with the 100% of electrical power at least for the 2 years required. Would this contract be enough to earn the credit, and furthermore the innovation in design one? Or would we still need to buy the 8 (or 16) kWh/sqf to comply with teh credit(s), in case our building's consumption was lower?

If the electric supply contract meets the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. criteria then you can document compliance by having an agreement in place to purchase all of your power from this source. It would earn the credit and an ID credit for exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements..

LEED Interpretations

Where can I find LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. 1743? Comments from USGBC suggested that we check this interpretation to see how we can show compliance with Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. power but all I can find is the explanation of LEED interpretations and not the actual interpretation.

Hi, LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. # 1743 refers to the EAc4: Green Power credit and is primarily used for the Commercial Interiors v2.0 rating system. As Tristan stated above, you can reference the EAc4: Green Power credit interpretations directly by using the following link:

green energy contract for another building of the same company

It turned out that the buidling where our client's office is located has a contract signed with an energy provider that doesn't provide green energy. The building will not change the energy provider before the contract end date because then it would have to pay some fines. We were thinking how to solve it and we thought of one thing: the company has other offices which have other energy providrs that can supply green energy. We thought that we could sign a contract for green energy (for the amount that our project needs) but for another building of the same company. Do you think this solution would be accepted by USGBC?

Your client's green energy provider does not have to be the same company that provides its everyday power needs. It is a separate contract so it can be from anyone who is a certified provider, as long as you have proof of that contract with them that they are producing the amount your client would need for a two year term. As long as it is being created and put out there on the market, it counts. You don't need to use an energy company affiliated with your client in any way, unless you want to. I buy RECs from a national green energy provider , which is usually the best deal.

You can't double dip, though. Your contract needs to state specifically that it is being produced for your project. I don't think producing it for your client's other building and then counting it for this one will be approved.

Green energy default values

In our project we are not making an energy simulation so in this credit we are forced to use option 2. I have two concerns:
1. If I take the default value for green energy (8kWh per year) then it turns out that we have to buy more green energy than the office will actually use (based on old energy invoices). What can we do in that case? Can we buy 50% of the energy used by the office based on previous invoices (the tenant is already in the new building for a few months so we have some data from the new office and some from the old office)?
2. In the credit language (option 2) it says that we should use the default value of 8kWh per square foot per year or 0.75kWh per square meter per year - these are two different values, which one is correct?

There is precedence for using the actual data to base your purchase on. You can't use the old invoices however, it would need to be post-construction consumption.

8 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf and 0.75 kWh/m2 are the same value give or take. Conversion is 10.764 sf/m2.

So to use the actual data we heve to wait until one year passes in the new office and then after this time buy 50% of the energy from green energy provider, did I understand it well?

Well the office area is 464m2 which gives us 4994,5sf. If I use the default value of 8kWh/sf I get 39956kWh per year. If I use the defaul value of 0.75kWh/m2 I get 348kWh per year. So there must be an error somewhere, maybe it should be the other way round - 8kWh/m2 and 0.75kWh/sf - then it's the same value.

Waiting for the full year would work or you could try to justify an extrapolation.

The 8 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf is right and you are right the math goes the other way, my mistake. So there would be 86.1 kWh/m2. I am not sure where the 0.75 comes from?

Carbon Offset V4 Alternative Compliance Success - LEED CI

My team and I were recently successful in documenting the use of carbon offsets for LEED CI - EAc4 Green Power by documenting the V4 credit as an alternative compliance path. While the language in the credit is still a bit nebulous, we were able to successfully address all of the initial comments (mostly pertaining to showing work in the calculations) in the final submittal. LEEDuser has been a valuable resource, so we just wanted to put this out there as an idea for any projects in pursuit of this credit that may be interested in using high quality carbon offsets in lieu of RECs.

It is worth noting that our project received the full 5 pts and 1 pt ID for offsetting 100% of the buildings carbon footprint. In V4, the credit is projected to be worth 1 pt for 50% and 2 pts for 100%.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to do my best to answer them on this thread.

I would be interested in the details of how you documented this. I have a client whose parent company purchases carbon offsets in bulk for the entire corporation. A portion has been set aside for our project (a very small CI office). We did not do an energy model so we will estimate the energy use with the 8 kW/ft2 method. What kind of proof and calculations did you have to submit? Thanks. David Edenburn - Singapore

At the time, we used the LEEDv4 documentation (which includes a carbon offsetA fiscal unit measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) representing six main categories of greenhouse gases. Aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, one carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases). Carbon offsets are typically purchased by consumers of fossil fuels or products using fossil fuels, as a way to "offset" or negate their negative environmental impact. option) to document compliance on v2009 projects. However, as this is not one of the credits with 2009-v4 credit transfer, it is unclear if this option is still viable.

Have you considered using the LEEDv4 framework? This would help you assure that your carbon offsets are counted, and it would be good exposure to the full updated framework. Otherwise, it would be worth reaching out to your GBCI reviewer or the USGBC to see if they have advice on how you can document your accredited carbon offsets.

Andreas:
Thank you for getting back to me. I had heard from other sources that this credit may not be available anymore so I am back to trying to convince the client to go the traditional RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. route. Changing the rating system is not an option at this point (they moved in 2 weeks ago).

Unfortunately, the Green Power requirements for v4 can't be transferred to v2009 projects, so RECs will need to be purchased to achieve these LEED points. You can view a list of the 2009 to v4 credit substitution IDC at the link below. Hope this helps!

I think that qualifying carbon offsets have been accepted for the green power credits. It might be worth a look to see if the carbon offsets would qualify. See LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. 10401 for some guidance.

LEED EB / CI RECS-is sharing double-counting or tenant advantage

We have an EBOMEBOM is an acronym for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, one of the LEED 2009 rating systems. property that was certified with 100% RECs in 2009, and we've been maintaining the purchases of RECs for recert in 2014. We have a major tenant, 80% SF of our building, who is renovating and performing LEED-CI certification. They are asking us if they can use our 100% kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu. and gas REC offset purchase agreement for their current certification. Understood that LEED offers 5 points (SS1)in LEED-CI for being in a LEED EBOM certified building. The question: is it correct to ask the tenant to purchase REC's for their portion (wouldn't that be double-dipping on the REC side), or does LEED/GBCI consider it double-dipping with the tenant trying to use an agreement that the building owner purchased? (By the way, the building owner was under the impression that his REC purchase would be used by the tenant, and that was a "plus" with being a tenant in his building.) Also, understood if this CI tenant is 80% of occupancy, they could only use 80% of the REC agreement's kWh & gas offsets purchased for EBOM. Thanks!

There is precedence for making a large REC purchase and then allocating the RECs to different projects (i.e. universities. large government purchases). These are typically however under the same owner and involve large REC purchases way over 100% of any one building.

On the other had it sounds like all the RECs have already been allocated to certified project and I am not aware of a situation where RECs have been reallocated after they have been allocated.

So not sure I have the answer. Sounds like a LEED InterpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. to me.

Two Year HVAC Electricity Use

Our LEED project occupies 30% of the total building floor area. The energy model modeled the entire building due to a central boiler and condenser water plant. Central air handling units serve multiple tenants. In determining the two year HVAC electrical use we propose using a square footage percentage (tenant floor area/total building floor area) because the tenant spaceTenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space. HVAC electricity use cannot be accurately separated out of the entire building HVAC electricity use.
Does anyone have experience with this issue and is the correct approach? Thanks!

Sandra, I don't have experience with a situation like this, but your approach seems to make a reasonable attempt at it, which is all you can do. I would try to submit this as a design credit and then adjust your approach if necessary based on GBCI feedback. Green power is generally inexpensive enough that if you include more kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu. to be on the safe side, it shouldn't cost a lot.

Carbon Offset Program

I am working on a project that is performing it's own carbon offsets - ensuring that each investment in a carbon offset project has additionality, permanence, verifiability, etc. While this does not meet the stated intent of the credit (to encourage the development and use of grid-source, renewable energy) it certainly meets the intent of green power itself (sequestering carbon and reducing GHGs). Additionally, while the project will not the buying a two year contract, it will be committing to offset 100% of it's carbon footprint for a minimum of two years. I am planning on including how the carbon footprint will be calculated and details on offset projects that have been invested in by similar past projects.

Does anyone know of a precedent where carbon offsets have been accepted for this credit? The project is making an impressive commitment so I am hoping there is some way to make this work. I am also open to any advice on how this could be best presented to the GBCI. Thanks!

You are basically trying to make the case for equivalency with Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products.. So make that direct comparison to the specific elements of the Green-e standard as applicable.

Also check the interpretations on this issue if you have not already done so.

Dear Juliana and LEED community,
it seems that we are facing the same problem: our project has 19784 sf and the whole project is supplied with green power, and contracts last at least 2 years. When filling the template form of EAc4, our total green power purchased over a two year period sums up to 433200 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu..

We want to use Option 2 of EAc4. According to the reference guide this would be our two year-consumption per sf: 433200 kWh / 19784 sf = 21,9 kWh/sf. This should fulfill the requirements of an exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. (which is a minimum of 16 kWh/sf over a two year period).

However, the EAc4 template calculates differently: the last row of page one shows a two year consumption filled automatically by the template. In our case it shows 10.95 kWh/sf. As mentioned above, it should show 21,9 kWh/sf.

We did the math over and over again, since we couldn't believe that the template might be wrong. Can you help us out on this? We need this EP for other projects and want to understand how much annual consumption of green power we actually need. We cannot believe that in our case we would have to purchase approx. 600000 kWh over a two year period (more than we need) in order to fulfill the credit's EP-requirements.

Just to be sure you are in a CI forum and am not sure where some of your numbers are coming from. Maybe I am missing a Reference Guide change but mine reads that you need 8 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf yr to earn the credit and double that to earn EP. This translates to 16 kWh/sf for the credit and 32 kWh/sf for EP since the term is two years.

Option 2 - RECs purchasing

I´m trying to set how many RECs I must buy to comply with this credit for a project of 59,545sqf. According to Reference Guide I should multiply this area by 8kWh for 2 years (59,545 x 8 x 2), requiring a 952,735kWh purchase. Althought when filling LEED online template it cames as return a information as "Green Power per sf over a two year period" of 839.7kWh/sf. What does that mean? What calculations should we consider. I´m a lot confused.

Not sure if i have understood your query but i note that there must be a problem while you are filling the template. Annual green power requirement will be 59545 x 8kW/sqft/yr which is 476360kW/yr. You need to fill this value in the coloumn "annual green power purchased" and change the contract to 2years.

The logical testing is "Green Power per sf over a two year period" should be 8kWh/sqft as this is the value which you have used initially for computing the Green Power to be purchased.

What to do if no EAc1.3?

I am trying to document this credit and we have not occupied the building for more than 3 months. So we are not able to document via the "Actual Consumption" route. However, to use the "Design Electricity Consumption" route, "The project space regulated electricity use for green power calculations are based on the design energy cost from the Lighting Power Density section of EA Prerequisite 2 and the Design Case Energy Use from EA Credit1.3 Option 2. (Note: this option shall only be selected if EA Prerequisite 2 and EA Credit 1.3 are complete)." However, we did not complete EAc1.3. We have our Title 24/Energy Model since we are in CA. But this LEED Template explicitly says I have to have completed EAc1.3, which I have not. How do I document this credit since my project is purchasing 100% RECs for two years?

You can use option 2 to determine the quantity needed for the green power purchase.

The problem with trying to use the model is that it would not have been reviewed for any CI credits. You could try to submit it this way by selecting the special circumstances box on the form and follow an alternative compliance path.

We have information for LPDLighting power density (LPD) is the amount of electric lighting, usually measured in watts per square foot, being used to illuminate a given space., but we used EA Credit 1.3 Option 1, so ‘Two Year HVAC Electricity Use” doesn’t populate in the EAc4 Template. I believe the previous post indicated this could be estimated through an alternate compliance option. Are there any other options?

The credit guidelines are: “The project space regulated electricity use for green power calculations are based on the design energy cost from the Lighting Power Density section of EA Prerequisite 2 and the Design Case Energy Use from EA Credit 1.3 Option 2.”

Also, we have energy use for greater than 90 days, but it is not metered separately from the rest of the building.

Whole Building or Tenant Space

Our project team shows a recent update (Aug 11, 2011) requiring the purchase of green power to account for the "building" not the tenant spaceTenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space.. Is anyone aware of a change in the requirement for LEED CI projects to account for the building rather than the tenant space?

Thomas, what update are you referring to? I am not aware of it. There was an 11/3/2010 addenda that actually clarified this credit as applying to the tenant spaceTenant space is the area within the LEED project boundary. For more information on what can and must be in the LEED project boundary see the Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) and LEED 2009 MPR Supplemental Guidance. Note: tenant space is the same as project space., not the building.

I am wondering the same thing. When you work in the EAc4 LEED CI template, it is pulling the entire building sf to satisfy the 8 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf requirement, not the remodeled portion sf.

Just bumping this as I have gotten no response from GBCI. The issue I am having is that if I have to purchase for 100% of the building sf, as the template is making me do, the remodel is only 20%. And the client I am purchasing for right now wants to do a second remodel in part of the remaining 80% of the building- if they buy it for the whole building, can they count it again for that project as well?

I have not experienced it but if you think the form is in error state that in the narrative regarding special circumstances and then upload the correct calculations. Check the special circumstances box under additional details to get this narrative box and upload button to appear.

Also make sure you are using the most recent version of the credit form which appears to be v3.0.

REC vendors for Singapore Project

For our Singapore projects, we need to buy RECA Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a certificate representing proof that a given unit of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source such as solar or wind. These certificates are able to be sold, traded, or bartered as environmental commodities, where an electricity consumer can buy the renewable energy attributes of electricty to support renewable energy, even if they are consuming generic grid-supplied electricity that may be supplied by nonrenewable sources. but are not sure where to start searching? Is it also true that the vendor can be from any country regardless where the project is located?

Yes- you can purchase RECs from a vendor from any country regardless of where the project is located. We've provided Green Power to over 2,000 LEED projects globally and would be happy to help. LMalone@renewablechoice.com

Green Power for LEED-CI Retail

Can anyone confirm that Green Power is 2 points for LEED-CI Retail instead of 5 points for LEED-CI? That is what the LEED-CI Retail rating system indicates, but it is such a significant discrepancy, anyone know why? I there an assumption that LEED-R projects will likely be smaller and therefore Green Power is too easy to achieve and therefore weighted differently?

Hi Linda- Green Power is in fact 2 points for LEED-CI Retail instead of 5. Your project can however achieve an additional ID credit for exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. if they purchase double the required amount for EAc4. Please let me know if we can help! LMalone@renewablechoice.com

Equivalent to Green-E

Has anyone defined this? We are looking at purchasing RECs directly from one or more schools or other non-profits that have not sold RECS. We have an independent who has experience with renewables that would do the "certification" but want to be sure what he does will comply. Has this been done before?

Wayne, I think you'd want to review the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. standard for RECs, from the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). It is fairly technical but also readable for a layperson—someone with renewables experience should have no problem with it.

Whether or not this path has been successfully followed, and how projects have gone about it, I can't comment on. Given the low cost of RECs on the open market, I doubt it has been attractive to many project teams. Anyone?

We have achieved this credit on a couple of non-US projects. To show equivalence with Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. was an initial consideration, especially since the availability of renewable energy was given or supplied to the building in any case. But to show compliance would have been too time consuming. This starts with figuring the kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu. production, which you can assume and ends with the details of defining renewable energy. So we bought RECs.

We bought the RECs from a company out of Chicago, USA. They charge your credit card as the most convenient way for payment. www.Carbonsolutionsgroup.com
They will help you figure out how much you need and send you a contract. Very responsive people. My contact was Scott Maloney.

If you don't have an energy simulation for the space than you might want to use a green power contractor, which does green power supply based on percentage of your actual consumption. So what every you consume in a month, you will be purchasing 50% green power. I'm guessing you don't want to use the 8 kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf year, because it's more than you actually will be using?

I am trying to document this credit and we have not occupied the building for more than 3 months. So we are not able to document via the "Actual Consumption" route. However, to use the "Design Electricity Consumption" route, "The project space regulated electricity use for green power calculations are based on the design energy cost from the Lighting Power Density section of EA Prerequisite 2 and the Design
Case Energy Use from EA Credit1.3 Option 2. (Note: this option shall only be selected if EA Prerequisite 2 and EA Credit 1.3 are complete)." However, we did not complete EAc1.3. We have our Title 24/Energy Model since we are in CA. But this LEED Template explicitly says I have to have completed EAc1.3, which I have not. How do I document this credit since my project is purchasing 100% RECs for two years?

green power - purchased percentage

Our client owns the building and occupies 50% of the square footage of a singularly metered building.

The owner (our client) signed a contract to purchase green power for 30% of the total building's usage. So the math would be if the owner is buying enough green power to offset 30% of the entire building that would be equivalent to 58% of the amount of their energy.

Did I explain that well enough without righting a novel?
The question is, will that fly? I guess you could arque that the amount of space does not dictate the energy usage, and that would be correct, but
I am trying to salvage the agreement the owner already made.

Tony, that's not going to fly in and of itself. There are two compliance options for this credit (see language above), and so you can either look at energy cost under EAc1 or use a straight kWhA kilowatt-hour is a unit of work or energy, measured as 1 kilowatt (1,000 watts) of power expended for 1 hour. One kWh is equivalent to 3,412 Btu./sf figure. Maybe the situation can be salvaged, but look at those measures to determine that.

Green Power - India

As a wind turbine manufacturing company, we have wind mills installed all over the country. In this regard, we would like to pursue for the Green power credit under EA c4.

As required by the credit, we can establish two-year contract with the power distribution company to provide 50% of building’s electricity from renewable sources. But in India no Green power is Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. certified, also no accounting firm is certified under Green-e to do third party verification on the Green-e standards of the renewable energy source. In this case, is it acceptable to have a third party verification done by a recognized audit/ accounting firms or a government body in the country? Please advice.

S, an auditing firm should in theory be able to take the Green-eGreen-e is a program established by the Center for Resource Solutions to both promote green electricity products and provide consumers with a rigorous and nationally recognized method to identify those products. standard and verify that a renewable energy source in India meets the standard. This approach isn't taken very often so there isn't a lot of precedent, but I don't see why you couldn't do this.

Do you know which LEED credits have the most LEED Interpretations and addenda, and which have none? The Missing Manual does. Check here first to see where you need to update yourself, and share the link with your team.